Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, near Vinci, in what is now Italy. When he was about15 years old he began studying with the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence.Verrocchio taught him about painting, sculpture, and the design of mechanicaldevices.
Leonardo da Vinci was a genius in many things. He was really goodat painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, and engineering. He was a leadingfigure of the Italian Renaissance (rebirth), a period of great achievement in the arts andsciences.Mona Lisa and Last Supper won him great fame.
Leonardo worked in Milan as a painter andengineer for a duke from 1482 to 1499. Although he completed only six paintingsduring that time, they include two masterpieces: the Last Supper and The Virginof the Rocks.
Leonardo's self-portrait is drawn in red chalk on paper. It depicts the head of an elderly man in three-quarter view, turned towards the viewer's right. The subject is distinguished by his long hair and long waving beard which flow over the shoulders and breast. The length of the hair and beard is uncommon in Renaissance portraits and suggests, as now, a person of sagacity. The face has a somewhat aquiline nose and is marked by deep lines on the brow and pouches below the eyes. It appears as if the man has lost his upper front teeth, causing deepening of the grooves from the nostrils. The eyes of the figure do not engage the viewer but gaze ahead, veiled by the long eyebrows, with a sense of solemnity or disillusionment. If this is indeed a self-portrait of Leonardo, his attitude may reflect the fact that by this time his career was largely behind him, and artistic fashion was beginning to leave him behind.
Because of its great artistic history, Florence is known for its many museums. One of these is the Uffizi Gallery, located in a huge building originally designed to house the offices of the city government. Paris has many famous landmarks. The soaring curves of the Eiffel Tower can be seen from far away. It has become a symbol of the city. The Arc de Triomphe is a large arch honoring the military. The cathedral of Notre Dame is a church built from the 1100s to the 1300s.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, near Vinci, in what is now Italy. When he was about 15 years old he began studying with the artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. Verrocchio taught him about painting, sculpture, and the design of mechanical devices.
Leonardo da Vinci was a genius in many things. He was really good at painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, and engineering. He was a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance (rebirth), a period of great achievement in the arts and sciences. Mona Lisa and Last Supper won him great fame.
Leonardo worked in Milan as a painter and engineer for a duke from 1482 to 1499. Although he completed only six paintings during that time, they include two masterpieces: the Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks.
Leonardo's self-portrait is drawn in red chalk on paper. It depicts the head of an elderly man in three-quarter view, turned towards the viewer's right. The subject is distinguished by his long hair and long waving beard which flow over the shoulders and breast. The length of the hair and beard is uncommon in Renaissance portraits and suggests, as now, a person of sagacity. The face has a somewhat aquiline nose and is marked by deep lines on the brow and pouches below the eyes. It appears as if the man has lost his upper front teeth, causing deepening of the grooves from the nostrils. The eyes of the figure do not engage the viewer but gaze ahead, veiled by the long eyebrows, with a sense of solemnity or disillusionment. If this is indeed a self-portrait of Leonardo, his attitude may reflect the fact that by this time his career was largely behind him, and artistic fashion was beginning to leave him behind.
Because of its great artistic history, Florence is known for its many museums. One of these is the Uffizi Gallery, located in a huge building originally designed to house the offices of the city government. Paris has many famous landmarks. The soaring curves of the Eiffel Tower can be seen from far away. It has become a symbol of the city. The Arc de Triomphe is a large arch honoring the military. The cathedral of Notre Dame is a church built from the 1100s to the 1300s.